Lady of the Labyrinth
by PsychoBunny
Summary: After Sarah falls sick with a mysterious illness, Toby must journey back to Labyrinth to find the only people who can help her. Little does he know of the turmoil plaguing the once majestic Labyrinth, its inhabitants, and its mighty Goblin King.
1. The Beginning

I've tried my hand at Sailor Moon fanfic, I thought I'd try it at Labyrinth fanfic as well. This is my first Laby fanfic so feedback is more than welcome! Thanks!

* * *

Sarah's head pounded with the pressure of another migraine, the third one this week. She cradled her head in her hands, praying the episode would dissipate by curtain call. The migraines had become increasingly frequent over the past few months, causing the actress' vision to swim with images of far off places that seemed all too familiar yet foreign.

She chalked it up to stress from the long rehearsal hours of the new production of Twelfth Night, in which she had snagged the coveted lead of Viola. Had her body not be wracked with misery she would have given a small, manical laugh. Somewhere deep inside, she had never quite given up on chasing her dreams, even if it meant living a lie vicariously through the theater.

"Please...not now...", she begged the incessant pain in her skull.

Curtain call was in less than an hour, though Sarah couldn't be certain on the exact time. She had never been a big fan of clocks, especially old grandfather clocks, so she never kept them around. They made her feel restricted, as foolish as it sounded, like she was always racing against time itself.

She puckered her face sourly at the pressure building in the base of her skull. If her migraine didn't ease up, Sarah might have to forfeit her role to the understudy. She picked her head up slowly, grimacing at the wave of pain that pulsated through her entire brain. The mossy green eyes of her mirror image stared back at her, willing the real Sarah to banish her pain.

As selfish as it sounded, Sarah couldn't bare the thought of losing the role for which she had worked so hard, only to have her understudy take her place on opening night. Disappointment welled in the pit of Sarah's stomach at the thought, dimming the agony of her migraine for the moment.

She couldn't allow a small headache to ruin her chances of impressing the critics that were sure to be there. Especially since, David, the producer, had confirmed rumors yesterday and told the crew that talent scouts would be in the audience tonight.

It was a once in a lifetime opportunity to finally take her talent from small town community theater to a true Broadway actress, like her mother.

"Sarah, you ok?" Shyly, a medium built, mop-headed teenager poked his head into the dressing room, concern lacing his voice and movements.

Charmed by his gesture, Sarah smiled warmly at her brother Toby in the mirror. "Yea, I'm fine. How's the set coming along?"

Toby's eyes lit up at the question, "Great! We were finally able to mobilize the ship wreckage for easier scene changes. Oh, and I got more trees for scene fillers to make it look better. The only thing that bothers me is the set for Olivia's house. It's not bad but its not great either.."

Toby's excitement was contagious and butterflies began to flutter in Sarah's stomach in anticipation. She was elated that Toby had taken an interest in the theater. Though, unlike his stepsister, he preferred to be behind the scenes as a set and light technician. The shared passion of theatrical arts allowed a special bond to form between the stepsiblings. Sarah vividly remembered taking Toby to a small audition while babysitting and how fascinated he was by the set design and lights of the stage. An eight year-old Toby had been so enamored of the fixtures on set that the assistant set designer had given the boy a behind the set tour. Jumping up and down in exhilaration, the strawberry-blonde boy had grabbed Sarah by the hand and begged to be in the play. She had laughed at the cute pout he sported and she had promised to let him accompany her to the set everyday.

Sarah watched Toby adoringly, recalling the memory so clearly. Suddenly, the pounding in her head intensified tenfold as another memory surfaced. Her face scrunched as the unbearable sensation gave way to a ringing voice in her ear.

_"Please...Where is he?" __Her voice sounded strange to her own ears, higher in tone and immature. The memory must have been from when she was much younger. She was pleading but couldn't remember why. _

_"You know very well where he is" __The cool, apathetic masculine voice pierced her to the core. The identity of the speaker was lost on Sarah but still, it stuck out in her mind._

_"Please bring him back, please."__ She sounded desperate, as if the situation was dire. If she didn't get him back, he would be transformed into a short, stubby monster._

_Something about...a baby..._

A funny look crossed Toby's face. "Sarah? Hey, you doing ok?" Cautiously walking over to his sister, Toby gently shook her shoulder.

Sarah nodded her head. "Dont worry. Its just a small headache, nothing really, probably from opening night jitters." Her smile was forced and unconvincing. The rosy tinge that covered her cheeks moments before vanished as her face appeared pale and chalky.

Toby seemed dubious of Sarah's excuse and only inquired about his sisters behavior out of concern. "Are you sure?"

Sarah glanced at Toby tiredly, albeit frustrated. "Toby, please, I'm fine." Color began to surface back to her face again but the bags under her eyes were still prominent, her eyes had lost that sparkle of mischievousness. She seemed a shadow of her former self and it disheartened Toby greatly. She seemed so distant lately.

A light tap resounded on the doorway of the dressing room as a girl from wardrobe popped her head inside and spoke, "Ms. Williams? They need you in wardrobe now."

"Ok. I'll be there in a sec." Waving the girl on her way, Sarah fixed her makeup and checked her appearance in the mirror one last time. She turned to face Toby as she inclined her head in his direction, showing him he had her full attention.

"Sarah, I'm just...worried." Toby couldn't vocalize the bad sensation in the pit of his stomach any better. His brows furrowed as he toyed with his hands. Something wasn't right. For the life of him, he couldn't describe it but there was some kind of electricity in the air that adhered to a storm approaching.

"Toby, I love you to death...but don't let trivial things like my headache bother you." Cupping his cheek in one hand, the 30 year-old ebony haired actress eyed her stepbrother endearingly. Softly, she brushed his wildly curly auburn hair out of his eyes as she patted his arm.

With all the haughtiness she could muster, Sarah channeled her mother as she saucily stated, "the show must go on."

* * *

The lights came up and the curtain rose as the audience leaped to their feet in a standing ovation. The full cast stood in a line and bowed gratefully. Naturally, Sarah Williams stood front and center, beautiful, humble and elegantly poised as always.

Sarah was reeling from the applause of the audience. The play had been a nothing short of phenomenal as the cast and crew had out done themselves.

Like the true actress she was, Sarah had managed to repress her nausea and headache for the duration of the performance by focusing on the task on hand. And the audience never knew the difference. However, she was now suffering the repercussions from disregarding her illness. The lights began to blur and became disorienting. Her body began to tremble. She tried to keep herself in check, smiling and bowing accordingly.

Suddenly, her head felt like it was splitting in two and in reaction, her eyes shut tightly against the assault. She could hear voices but they weren't that of the crowd or of her cast mates. It was from a memory of long ago.

The voices gargled and echoed oddly in her head, as if they were submerged in water. As she lost focus of the crowd and submitted to the blackness clouding her mind, the voices gained clarity.

"_Generous? What have you done that's generous?" She was being brazen, testing her footing in uncharted waters in which she knew nothing about. Playing her part as the heroine, she gauged his reaction carefully, waiting for the right moment to pull the ace she had up her sleeve._

"_Everything! Everything you wanted, I have done. You ask that the child be taken, I took him. You coward before me, I was frightening. I have reordered time. I have turned the world upside down and I have done it all for you. I'm exhausted from living up to your expectations of me. Isn't that generous?" That strange man's voice rang in her ears again. His voice spoke volumes of his weariness and frustration with the games. He was miserable in his efforts to please and still constantly overshadow by his persona as villain. Whether the efforts were genuine endearments or a clever ploy was still a debatable question._

_She turned deaf ears on him as she concentrated in finishing the deed. She could feel words passing her lips but didn't hear them. She had said the lines so many times, it was a second nature. She had him retreating backwards as she made her advancements in agonizingly slow steps, drawing out the dramatic element of her speech._

"_And my kin…"_

"_Stop, wait. Look, Sarah. Look what I'm offering you, your dreams." He was slightly urgent in his insistence. Oh, he knew her vulnerabilities and he would extort them to any degree for his own gain. But she would not be fall for his entrancements this time. Not like in the ballroom…_

"_And my kingdom as great…" No, she would not be deterred now. She had come too far. _

"_I ask for so little. Just let me rule you and you can have everything that you want." His tenacity was admirable and his power of persuasion was unmatched. A younger Sarah couldn't help but falter ever so slightly under his enticements._

"_My kingdom as great…Damn, I can never remember that line." The pressure was rising, her concentration breaking with his outstretched arm offering her everything he could give in a single crystal and her frazzled mind forgetful of the last line of her speech._

"_Just fear me, love me, do as I say and I will be your slave." He was so utterly despondent yet somehow sincere. She was too young to fully appreciate and understand the meaning of his invitation, being too caught up in her heroic moment. She had to remember that last stupid line in order to…..save….to save….Toby. She had survived the dangerous maze and its ruler in order to save Toby._

_Memories of a baby crying, creatures dancing, a dwarf, a terrier-fox, and a huge, kind yeti monster, stone walls and greenery of a large maze that spanned endlessly came flooding back in staggering waves. _

_She had to defeat the Goblin King!_

Unable to resist it, the all-consuming darkness engulfed Sarah's mind as the curtains descended and she fainted on stage. Even in her state of delirium, she still heard fragments of voices and could see shattered pieces of a place from the past long ago. There she left part of herself behind and learned to grow up and face responsibility. It was a place where anything was possible and nothing was as it seemed.

As Toby screamed her named and begged her to wake up and open her eyes, she could only form one single word on her tongue, the only word that kept repeating over and over like a broken record in her heart and fractured mind.

_Labyrinth. _


	2. The Descent

This is the second installment of the story. No Jareth/Sarah action yet but it'll be coming very soon in later chapters. If you want to know about the status of my stories, don't forget to check my profile. Thanks for all the reviews! They are very appreciated.

-PsychoBunny

* * *

The icy blackness engulfed Sarah as she floated weightlessly in a sea of nothingness. Her mind raced but her body lied unmoving, heavy and stiff. Her lungs burned with every labored breath as the stifling silence settled upon her. Her fogged mind couldn't remember how she had gotten to this point, only that moments ago she had stood in front of an admirable audience that praised her performance.

Now, she lied here in this darkness, confined, trapped. Making the slightest motion to move her arms, tiny pinpricks of excruciating pain shot through her body into her arms. Sarah opened her mouth to scream in discomfort when she realized dreadfully that her voice was gone.

The grave presence of this forgotten place had swallowed her voice, just as surely as it would swallow her.

Suddenly, Sarah shut her eyes tightly and dug her fingers into the pliant ground beneath her as an immense pressure raged in her skull. And as the flashing pain slowly faded, a voice cut through the darkness.

_"It's a place to put people to forget about 'em."_

The air was thick and suffocating yet the voice drifted through the bleakness like a gentle summer breeze. The sound itself though was hoarse and breathy with a hint of severity yet the tone still remained earnest. Something about the words seemed all too familiar. They had been spoken before in a dark, desolate place and it was the person who spoke them that had rescued Sarah from that same dank prison.

Sarah swore if she faced the opposite direction, she would hear the striking of a match and a candle would light the corridor.

The memory felt so distant yet tangible. It was all there, she only had to fill in the details. But Sarah found the harder she fought to recollect anything, the faster the memory fled her weary mind. And as the memory began to rapidly dissipate, Sarah savored the little she could recall to maintain some peace of mind. Mulling over the voice that spoke in the darkness and guarding it safely in her heart, Sarah discovered that the darkness was only able to penetrate her physical and mental defenses; it was powerless against her heart. As a small spark of hope reignited within her, Sarah started struggling with renewed vigor.

As she pushed her body, perspiration gathered on her head with her strain. A chill crawled across her skin though her body felt like it was on fire. As her upper body lurched up slightly, the darkness produced an unseen force that pressed her further into the ground. Gasping, Sarah lost her balance and fell back against the ground. She could feel her limbs trembling from both the effort and the resistance that meet her.

When she finally stopped, the phantom force lifted and retreated back into the darkness. A few tears managed to escape her eyes as she lied defeated. As her initial shock and overwhelming fear subsided, Sarah came to an unforgiving conclusion.

There was no way to escape.

* * *

"...I know you're still in there somewhere Sarah. I wish you could hear me." Toby squeezed his sister's hand lovingly while she laid unresponsive in the hospital bed. 

As he was preparing to say his goodbye for the day, Toby jerked back as Sarah's body suddenly started to shake.

"NURSE!" Toby yelled at the top of his lungs, frightened and panicked.

As the nurse rushed into the hospital room, she noticed the patient's body had begun to quake uncontrollably again. Toby watched slack-jawed as Sarah's body began to seizure and her vitals spiked rapidly on the monitors.

"Try to keep her still for just a moment." The nurse threw one arm around Sarah's upper body as she nearly came flying off the hospital bed. Taking the nurse's lead, Toby firmly kept Sarah's unconscious body still by keeping her hands at her sides and leaning his upper body weight on her abdomen.

Somewhere in all the chaos, the nurse managed to produce a syringe of medicine and dispersed the liquid into Sarah's IV. Just as quickly as the episode had started, Sarah's body stopped all movement again.

As the nurse went about checking Sarah's vitals for any other signs of disturbance, a visibly shaken Toby heaved a sigh of relief as he sat in the chair beside Sarah's bed.

"I'll call the doctor in immediately and he'll check to see if there's any change in her condition. Will you be ok while I'm gone?" The nurse was completely unfazed by the event that had just transpired as she questioned Toby like it was any other day.

Still uneasy, a pale Toby swallowed past the lump in his throat and nodded his head numbly. "Yea, I'll be fine."

The nurse left them in silence as a fidgety Toby watched over Sarah vigilantly.

It had been like this for a week now.

After Sarah had fainted on the opening night of her Twelfth Night performance, she had been admitted to the hospital for safety precautions. There had been no known cause or any signs of abnormalities in any of the standard tests. The doctors regarded the incident as a side affect of stress.

A few hours after the terrifying experience, Sarah had roused from her sleep only to fall into a coma moments later. Unfortunately, the immediate family had witnessed the whole ordeal.

Sarah's eyes had fluttered as she cracked her eyes open slightly. Toby and their father both ran to Sarah's side as she opened her mouth to speak.

Then something horrible and unexplained happened.

Sarah's eyes grew wide and her entire body tensed and arched off the hospital bed. She had thrown her head back and made the most horrific cry of anguish Toby had ever heard.

Since then, Sarah had been confined to this hospital room til the doctors could determine the cause of her outbursts of pain.

"Mr. Williams?" The doctor was calm and collected as always, if not a bit insincere. He was one of a slew of doctors that had examined Sarah and was as forgettable as the rest of them where Toby was concerned.

"Please call me Toby."

"Of course. Well Toby, it seems there has been no change in Ms. Williams' condition. The tests have all come back either normal or inconclusive." They had been saying the exact same thing since Sarah first arrived at the hospital.

Toby made it no secret that he was displeased by their lack of empathy. "And would you call what just happened a minute ago normal? That's not normal! In fact, that's the third time in the past two days that Sarah's had a panic attack." His quiet voice did nothing to diminish the intensity of his tone, balling his fists at his sides to keep himself from lashing out.

"Toby, I understand your concern and we're doing all we can to figure out what's going on. But right now, your sister is in a very fragile state and we have to keep her in a stable environment in order to pinpoint the cause." The old mad-as-hell routine never got far with a patient doctor and at this point, the doctor was use to dealing with resentful relatives of patients.

Reluctantly, Toby dropped the issue and slumped his shoulders forward in resign, looking far older than his eighteen years. "Is there anything new you can tell me?"

The doctor eyed the boy curiously, debating whether or not he should tell him of his recent findings. In the end, he decided there was no reason Toby shouldn't know.

"In fact, there is. In researching your sister's condition, her brain activity has accelerated and is working at a rate which I've never seen before. It reaches its peak during her attacks but still maintains a highly accelerated level afterwards."

Elated at the news, Toby big, blue eyes shimmered with optimism. "Do you think her brain activity is the reason she keeps having these attacks?"

"I'm not sure but I'll have a specialist examine her for further testing. I'll let you know the results as soon as we have them. Til then, good day Toby." Acknowledging the teen with a simple nod, the doctor made a hasty exit out the door.

More tests. All they could ever do was test Sarah. But it wasn't enough anymore. Her condition was worsening by the day and Toby couldn't wait any longer.

With a sense of determination, Toby decided that he would find the solution himself.

Briefly, Toby squeezed his step-sister's wrist and confessed in a low voice. "Sarah, I promise you that I'll do whatever it takes to get you the help you need."

* * *

Sarah's lungs burned as her chest constricted with each labored breath. The blackness crested at the edge of her consciousness where she remained aware of the phantom presence lurking somewhere in the corners of her mind, waiting for the right moment to strike. 

As Sarah began to relinquish hope of ever escaping this black hell, a familiar male voice penetrated all defenses of the nothingness.

_"I wish you could hear me."_

It was Toby.

He sounded so far away and so despondent.

Gasping, Sarah did everything and anything to form articulate words so her younger sibling would know that she heard him. However, with her renewed efforts, the phantom force strangled her voice, making it impossible for Sarah to speak.

That's when the blackness took on a deep, raspy voice of its own, whispering menacingly.

_"I wish..."_

She couldn't give up now.

_"I wish..."_

She had survived tougher battles. Surely, Sarah Williams could handle a little darkness.

Using all her weakened effort, she pushed once again to raise herself up from her prone position. She felt her body shudder from the effort as tiny pinpricks of pain stung along the length of her body but she refused to relent.

_Everything's dancing._

The empty blackness swirled around her in an angry torrent, taking on a solid form. Released from the invisible bonds that held her down, Sarah raised her arms up to cover her face just as the ground beneath her gave way.

As Sarah plummeted down a bottomless shaft, the darkness narrowed and took on an odd shape of protrusions in the wall. Bracing herself to hit the awaiting ground below, Sarah nearly screamed when several pairs of green, slimy-looking hands emerged from the wall and grabbed her.

In that moment, she realized her voice had returned. Immediately, she began to wriggle out of the hands' grasp and cry for help. "Help! Stop it! Let go! Help!"

A couple of hands holding her let go in order to form a face with the hands serving as a mouth, nose and eyes. Then shockingly, they spoke with human voices. "What do you mean help? We are helping."

The entire wall of hands took the initiative to join in and enlighten her. "We're helping hands." Hadn't she heard that somewhere before? In fact, hadn't she encountered the 'helping hands' already?

"Some help you are! You're hurting me." Sarah complained, not considering the fact that she was taking their help for granted.

"Would you like us to let go?" When the pair of hands spoke teasingly, the rest of the hands taunted her by letting her slip out of their grasp.

"NO!" Panicked, Sarah latched on to some of the hands for support. In turn, they securely grabbed her once again.

"Well then come on, which way?" The voices and appearance of the hand faces all varied in aspects, some appeared younger, some older, some deeper in pitch and others higher in range. But the pair of hands that had just spoken sounded more enthusiastic about doing away with Sarah than actually helping her.

"Which way?" Sarah's ignorance was obvious by her question. But she couldn't help but think they were toying with her. She was stuck in a long narrow shaft. There was no direction to go.

"Up or down." A different pairs of hands elaborated by pointing up and down.

Oh, right. She was falling down right before they grabbed her.

"Come on, Come on. We haven't got all day." Impatient, a face of hands tried to coax her into making a faster decision.

"Well it's a big decision for her and she doesn't want to make the same mistake twice." The voice of the particular hand-face of interest sounded much older than any of the others and the twinge in his vocals sounded sincere, not meant to be malicious or conniving in anyway.

However the comment was meant to be taken, Sarah was certain it wasn't meant to be humorous. Nonetheless, the hand-faces shared a hearty laugh over it as if it were some kind of running joke. Puzzled, Sarah's eyebrows drew together in confusion.

"Which way do you want to go?" Sobering, the hand-faces returned to the heart of the matter.

"Well, I already know what's up there. So, I guess I'll go down." Logically, Sarah tried to pick the most obvious choice, especially since the darkness permeated the opening of the shaft above. At the very least, the bottom of the shaft appeared less threatening.

"She choose down!" A pair of hands quipped almost mockingly.

"She choose down?! Haha." Another hand-face scoffed surprisingly, as if she couldn't have made a worse decision. With one's lead, the rest followed as the whole wall erupted into unconstrained laughter.

"Wait! Was that wrong?" She tried to keep her grip on the hands in case they dropped her abruptly. Finally, the hands gently released her to help her glide safely down an opening into the bottom of the shaft, continuing to laugh all the way. Landing unceremoniously on her backside, Sarah lightly cursed and rubbed her sore back, taking the moment to adjust to her surroundings.

Engulfed in blackness once more, Sarah heard a grate slam over the opening of the hole as she dusted the cobwebs off her jeans and shirt.

Looking around, Sarah discovered the hole lead into some sort of dark corridor with jagged stalagmites and stalactites, like an ancient cave. As she scanned the black mass for some sort of escape, a slight shimmer in the corner caught her eye. As she moved closer to the source of the glimmer, a dimly illuminated, wooden door came into view. Amazed, Sarah lightly traced the intricate carvings of the wood as gold flecks glinted softly in the light from behind the door.

As she ran her hands over the wood for a knob, Sarah realized there was no knob, only a the face of a metal doorknocker.

How was she supposed to get through?

As she gripped the heavy doorknocker tautly, a sensation of dull electricity coursed through her body.

_Knock and the door will open._

Somehow, her mind knew exactly what to do. Lifting the handle high, Sarah knocked loudly on the door two times. In response, the door creaked on its hinges and opened slowly, alluding to the fact that it hadn't been used in years.

The light from the other side temporarily blinded Sarah as she made her way through the door but as she passed by the knocker, she could have sworn she heard mumbling.

On the other side of the door, she was greeted by the sight of a vast wasteland of sand hills and decrepit trees. She barely managed to get her footing on the sand when the door suddenly shut behind her. Startled, Sarah jumped and gasped at the commotion, whipping her head about in time to see the door vanish before her eyes. Extending her hand, Sarah felt a rush of air slip through her fingers where the door had stood seconds ago.

She shouldn't have been surprised by the disappearing act and in all honesty, she wasn't.

This place was more than it appeared to be.

Standing in front of a particularly massive sand hill, Sarah climbed the steep, dry sand to get a better view of the terrain. At the top of the hill, she staggered as she felt her heart stop beating for a fraction of a second. Her disillusioned mind failed to grasp the possibility of the very real place that settled in the valley below.

It felt like the wind had just been knocked clean out of her.

Stretched before her lied the most extensive and elaborate maze she had ever seen. As Sarah gazed into the farthest distances of the maze, fragmented memories materialized into recollections of a place and time which had been lost to her before now.

She didn't quite remember everything but it was enough to know.

As tension welled in her stomach, Sarah licked her parched lips and said the words she never dreamed she would ever say again.

"The Labyrinth"


	3. The Dreamscape

Another installment. Sorry it took so long. Thanks for your patience.

-PsychoBunny

* * *

Sarah stood there in utter shock for what felt like hours, staring blankly into the dusky, dim-lit horizon and to the castle far beyond the Goblin City. Her mind still grappled with the conclusion that she had formulated fifteen years ago when she had conjured up this place.

_It had only been a dream. Hadn't it?_

Her mind still stuttered at the fact that she recollected only certain parts of her journey.

At fifteen, Sarah had been an angry, complaining, desolate young woman who felt shunned and isolated by a world that didn't understand her. So, in her free time, she escaped to a fantasy world where she was her own heroine. However, one night in particular, she had a fantastical dream of her make-believe kingdom and the creatures inhabiting it.

_The rainbow spectrum that glinted off the crystal sphere mesmerized her as he coaxed in a seductive voice. _

"_I can show you your dreams." _

The memories were fuzzy at best but afterwards, she felt the experience itself was a revelation of sorts. After all, it must have been one hell of a dream to turn a patronizing teenager into a mature young lady in one night.

Still, it couldn't have been real.

Even after the whole ordeal had transpired, Sarah's memories of the place had begun to vanish, doing nothing to disprove her theory of a dream. And as time moved on, all traces of her forgotten fantasies lied stored away in a small box on an old bookshelf, along with any memories tied to them.

"So what am I doing here?" Placing her hands on her hips, Sarah spoke to no one in particular, hoping for some kind of answer to drop out of the sky.

"I's bout to ask you the same thing." The condescending tone of the gruff voice didn't hinder the delightful shock that rose within Sarah.

The name passed her lips before she even felt it on her tongue. "Hoggle!"

With a clumsy grace, Sarah slide down the dry, tan sand and sticks of the hill to face a ghost from her past. There, in all his tattered pants and intricate embroidered vest glory, stood a prune-faced, grumpy dwarf with warm eyes that spoke volumes of his true character.

Approaching him slowly, Sarah bent down and opened her arms to initiate a hug but Hoggle retreated before she got close enough to embrace him.

"I don't know what you're doing here but you need to leave. Now." His voice was icy and his demeanor staunch, very much like the Hoggle she first encountered years ago.

Ok, she didn't expect a parade to mark her return but the pissed-off routine was completely uncalled for.

Taken aback, Sarah felt hurt and threw his harsh attitude right back at him. "Well, seeing as I didn't have much choice in coming here in the first place, I don't know how I'm going to get back." Throwing her hands in the air, her voice rose to note her frustration. "I don't even know how I even got here."

"Sarah, listens to me. Please, you need to leave." Watching her outburst had somehow softened the dwarf's attitude. He gazed at her with remorseful brown eyes; his face stressed with worry.

"Why do you want me to leave?" Her voice softened to a quiet lull.

"Because...none of this is real." Hoggle remained nonchalant about the news, as if they were just discussing the weather.

Though she had traded her fantasy dreams for harsh reality a long time ago, the news nearly broke Sarah's heart. "But how can it not be? It's all right here and you're standing right in front of me."

"Oooough! It's hard to explain in your mortal terms. This place is a dream version of the Labyrinth. So it's not the real thing. Think of it like a shadow of the real Labyrinth. They call it the Dreamscape." Grouchy from the hassle of explanation, Hoggle could practically see the wheels turning in Sarah's head, boiling with a slew of questions.

"But why would you need a dream version of the Labyrinth?" As expected, Sarah's question had yet to be satisfied.

"Why else? To harvest the dreams of mortals." Hoggle shrugged his shoulders matter-of-fact as if it were an uneventful, boring occurrence. Feeling no obligation to humor her childish curiosity anymore, he continued his dutiful task, hobbling over to a small tree he had been working on before Sarah's arrival.

It wasn't the exact answer Sarah was looking for but maybe she should try to ask the right question first.

"Oh...but why would you want to harvest the dreams of mortals?" Her curiosity was getting the better of her.

"To keep them alive, of course!" He threw over his shoulder.

"Right...but couldn't you do that in the Labyrinth? The real one, I mean." She wasn't relenting until she got a straight answer.

He snorted in distaste, insulted that she of all people didn't respect the Labyrinth for all it's elaborate complexity. "If I didn't know better, I would think you'd forgotten 'bout all those fantasy books of yers." His accusation was met with a blank stare as an anxious Sarah waited for his answer, careful to avoid answering his own line of questioning.

Indignant and agitated with Sarah's neglect for his own queries, Hoggle huffed in an age old manner that could only be learned from centuries of practice. "This is a more controlled environment for dreams. If dreams become too wild or stubborn..." He slid her a knowing glance. "...then they can fall into the wrong hands and become nightmares. Dreams can be better contained here and roam the realm as they wish."

A notion suddenly struck her. "So wait, why are you here? Are you a dream version of the real Hoggle?"

"Yes and no." He didn't bother to elaborate any details. So she was going to have to result to drilling him like a criminal on trial.

"Just a minute. What do you mean 'yes and no'? Either you are or you aren't. So which is it?"

"I's Hoggle, through and through, but I only appear in this place in mind and spirit as a dream. My real body is resting in my home outside the Labyrinth walls. Shesh, you haven't changed a bit! You still ask too many questions." He defended his explanation amorously yet was simultaneously offended that Sarah didn't seem to understand the mechanics of this world.

"Oh. So am I a dream version of myself?" It was a surprising thought to be coherent and aware of yourself as a dream.

"You's have to be. That's the only way you can enter this realm." Hoggle busied himself with a small collection of lavender colored orbs on a tree as he continued their conversation.

"That still doesn't explain how I got here." In all her life, Sarah had never failed to point out the obvious.

"Now that, I can't answer." It was a valid point she couldn't deny or argue.

"Well, how did you get here?" If Hoggle had found a way into this dream world, there had to be a logical explanation for how Sarah got there too.

"I's was sent her by the king himself. It's my appointed duty now to harvest mortal dreams when they reach maturity." Standing to his full height an inch or two taller, Hoggle fingered his vest proudly as a small smile tugged at his lips.

"A step up from spraying fairies, I take it?" Sarah didn't bother to hide her playful smirk.

"You's got that right!" He shouted jubilantly.

Scratching her head, Sarah couldn't help but wonder why it was all so very confusing. However, while her mind was churning with possibilities, the missing and fallen pieces of the Labyrinthian wall caught her attention.

"This place is different from what I remember." She confessed quietly, entranced by the crumbling stone bricks and mortar of the massive walls.

"The Labyrinth hasn't been the same since you left and neither have we. I guess you's didn't need us no more once you grew up." He reluctantly admitted as his voice fell into somber tone which Sarah had only heard one other time before.

_Remorseful, he sighed wearily and groaned. "Ooh, she'll never forgive me. What have I done? I've lost my only friend...that's what I've done." _

Unwilling to restrain the driving emotions spurned from her disassembled memories, Sarah made her way over to where Hoggle stood and squeezed his shoulder gently, whispering in lament. "Hoggle...I hope you can forgive me for ever forgetting about this place. It was never my intention to hurt you. And if it means anything at all, thank you...for everything."

Sarah didn't have to remind him of her spent in the Labyrinth or how she had only come as far as she had with Hoggle's help. They both knew the extent of the other's sacrifice it had cost in order to continue their journey and in the end, somehow they had saved each other in a sense.

Struck speechless, Hoggle ducked his ashamed as he scuffled his feet and played with the keys attached to his pant pocket. He wasn't meaning to berate Sarah for growing up; she had every right to do so. He just wished he could have been a part of it. Instead, he had stayed silent all these years, locked up in a dormant corner of a dream that was too distant to remember but too precious to let go.

"I knows you are, Sarah." The words couldn't seem to form right in his mind or on his tongue. So he choose a safe answer that could suffice in relieving the tension. At least then he could fully enjoy the company of his reunited friend.

As her hand fell away from his shoulder, Sarah still felt a summate of guilt but reasoned that she couldn't reminisce about events she couldn't change. There was only the opportunity to make up for lost time.

"So tell me how you harvest dreams?" She implied the wonder and delight of his achievements in her voice with the stealthy talent of a trained actress.

With a proud swagger to his step, Hoggle gestured Sarah towards the central focus of his new found duty.

The crystal spheres grew in dozens as the lined the entire length of the entrance of the maze, sprouting on the overgrowth from the loose stones and small trees growing near the walls. It was truly a sight to behold. The orbs were all various sizes and colors, encompassing all the colors of the rainbow and everything in-between as they ranged from vibrant to dull. Some sparkled gently in the sunlight as others clustered together like a bunch of grapes.

Sarah pointed to the clustered orbs."Why are those all bunched together like that?"

Hoggle snorted in irritation. "No doubt the work of an overactive imagination."

Sarah covered her mouth in a poor attempt to stifle her laugh.

As a dawn of a new day peaked above the horizon of the broken maze, Hoggle began to shift with a nervous twitch. "I's hate to leave you here all by yourself, Sarah. But my magic isn't going to last much longer. I need to back to the castle."

Sarah nodded with a quiet understanding. "I think I can manage, Hoggle. But thanks for the concern."

"I'll be back by nightfall but I'll see if I can't find help to get you back home." His voice had a tinge of sad reluctance, like he was going to lose her all over again.

"But since this is a dream, can't I just wake up?" Sarah should have known better because logic never worked well in this world. Still, it was worth a shot.

"This is a special realm, Sarah. No one can get here unless they are sent here by a powerful mythical." Hoggle knew Sarah couldn't have gotten her simply by her dreams alone. One would have to possess significant magical abilities to pass through the Dreamscape.

"Well, I remember dreaming about a black void of pressure and then it became the shaft of arms. I feel into darkness and found a door that led here where I found you. If that doesn't sound like a dream, I don't know what does." There was no other explaination, unless Sarah had been conjured here by someone more powerful. But that was not an option she wanted to consider.

"It does sound peculiar but not the likes of a dream. It sounds like a pieces of memories. Is there anything particular you can recall that helped cause the changes in your dreams?"

"I remember...a voice. And sensing lots of deja vu." For some reason, the dream faded rapidly and escaped her mind.

"Hmm, I don't know much about the Dreamscape but I know enough to realize I need a powerful magic to help get you back. You's stay here and I'll come back for you. Here take this." He removed a delicate brown and copper beaded bracelet from his wrist, a bracelet Sarah hadn't seen in the fifteen years since she gave it to him. Holding his hand outwards, he laid it with gentle care in the palm of her hand.

"Hoggle, I can't take this. I gave it to you. It's yours." Surely, he wouldn't be giving it back to her.

"I know and that's exactly why you must keep a tight hold on it. It's part of me and in the Dreamscape, it will keep us connected so I can reach you." The piece was priceless because it reminded him of Sarah. So many of his best memories were stored away with that bracelet.

She glanced down at the small, plastic jewelry piece. This could be her key to a stable world, even if that world was not her own. "Hoggle ...thank you." With deliberate intent, Sarah bent down close to her dear friend and hugged him. Letting out a rush of air, Hoggle closed his eyes and clung to his best friend with large, gentle hands.

"Ough, now's don't you go getting me all teary eyed. I'll come back for you. That's a promise." He patted her arm with a loving gesture and released her.

He took a crystal ball out of his pocket and cupped it in his hand like a bubble. And while the crystal looked ordinary compared to all the orbs that surrounded the Labyrinth entrance, Sarah's instinct knew the crystal was anything but ordinary.

Hoggle whispered a few words as the crystal ball began to pulse with a white, illuminating brightness. With a flash of blinding light, he vanished and Sarah was left alone once more.

Deciding in her best interest that she should stay where she was, Sarah found a small rock to rest on near a tree filled with blue and green glass orbs. Idling her time away by playing with the tips of her fingers and Hoggle's bracelet, Sarah felt impatient and frustrated much like she did as a teenager.

Resting her elbows on her knees, Sarah wrung her hands with worry, wishing that someone could tell her where to go or what to do.

Just as the idea crossed her mind, a crystal ball, a duplicate of the one Hoggle had, rolled from the top of the sand hill down towards Sarah. Cautious but curious, Sarah left her spot to follow the ball as it kept rolling around the entrance of the Labyrinth til it stopped in mid roll.

However, Sarah inched closer to the ball as it stayed unmoving, unsure of what to expect. As she got within arms reach, an obscene, loud creaking startled the actress from her focus.

The crystal had managed to stop in front of the entrance doors and as they opened with a lethargic groan, it teetered haphazardly on its hinges as if it had been left unused and aged by time.

Without missing a beat, the crystal began to roll on through the doors and took a right along the inside wall of the Labyrinth. Hoping it was a sign from Hoggle, Sarah followed close behind the crystal, turning around only long enough to see the entrance doors close after her.


	4. Enter the Labyrinth

With two chapter updates (of different stories) in one week, I'm on a roll. I'm just finally glad to have finished this chapter; I had a bout of writer's block for the longest time.

Any feedback is welcomed. Thanks!

* * *

Toby had visited Sarah again in the hospital today. Her conditions seemed to stabilize but even so, her body stayed stagnant and unresponsive. Doctors reviewed the results of their specialized tests of Sarah's brain activity; all findings pointed to the mimicry of dreaming at an overactive rate while Sarah remained in her coma.

Expert doctors and psychologists had been called to give their professional opinion on the anomaly of the activity, hopeful that someone might have an answer.

They were all baffled.

The pristine doctors with their passive eyes and unremarkable bedside manner told the Williams family that dreaming and being in a coma were two very different processes. With an elementary clarification that veered on apathy, the main doctor explained that a coma was a non-normal set of brain functions that were not components of normal sleep. So while Sarah's brain was experiencing brain waves in a sleep pattern, somehow her body reserved the comatose symptoms.

The conversation's intent was somewhat helpful but vague with little hope of a substantial solution.

Once the doctor had finished his obligatory speech of Sarah's technical condition, Robert Williams reiterated in Leman's terms. "So there's nothing you can do for her."

The insipid doctor's face fell for a brief moment, showing a true sign of disquiet concern for the first time since Sarah had arrived to the hospital. "I'm afraid so. All we can do now is continuing administering fluids and hope that she wakes."

The initial pang of frustration convinced Toby to swindle his step-sister's apartment keys at the hospital, desperate to find any clues to her illness.

Yet as he entered the acute blackness of the stoic apartment, he began to rethink the idea while fumbling in the dark for a switch that eluded him. After more than one failed attempt, he found the knob and flipped it, casted a dim light across the room. He immediately took notice that Sarah was a pristine housekeeper.

Her apartment was plain but cozy with lush carpet and tall windows. The small, framed pictures scattered about were the only indication of any family.

He technically hadn't invaded Sarah's privacy since he was ten. Growing up, adventures had always resided in Sarah's room with fantasy books, toys, and game boards that looked complex. Curious, he constantly snooped around and often earned a good scolding from his older sibling after she found him harboring scattered story notes and toys like a treasure trove.

The doorknob squeaked an intrusive warning as Toby entered the most forbidden and personal of spaces: the bedroom. Again, this room carried the same theme of neatness from the living area.

Sarah had never been quite so tidy while they were growing up; however, with the exception of a bookshelf, everything now had a proper place and looked untouched, almost as if on display for some unknown audience.

The dark mahogany bookshelf tucked away in the corner did seem a bit cluttered in comparison. A few items lay strewn about, but nothing significant that could provide a lead for Sarah's current predicament.

1Until Toby spotted a lone box perched on the top of Sarah's bookshelf.

It was a plain shoe box, nothing fancy or unusual about it. The box immediately peaked Toby's interest. The white shoebox stood isolated in its own special spot above all the leaning novels and open manuscripts, and it wasn't the type of item one would keep on a bookshelf.

The unusual item was jarring against the background of a modern décor, if not a bit suspect since Sarah seldom kept nostalgic items nowadays. Proof of her sentiments lied around in the house in the handful of pictures and a scrapbook she had created years ago but nothing more.

An inexplicable notion pressed at the young man to attain and open the box.

With a swiftness that surprised him, Toby snagged a small vanity stool and balanced with precarious ease to retrieve the small box. The item safely in hand, the auburn headed man scanned the lid for markings or a label.

There was nothing except the bland, white box that glistened in the low lighting.

The temptation to reveal whatever lied inside was irresistible yet unsettling. The box was not his; he had no right to snoop in someone else's private things.

But, it wasn't like he hadn't already encroached on Sarah's secrecy. He was loitering in her bedroom for goodness sake.

Then again, he was looking to find answers for Sarah. At least, that was his intent.

He talked himself into it; rationalizing Sarah's comatose state was a legitimate excuse.

Toby opened the box with deft hands, his eager green eyes waiting.

The dramatic moment was eclipsed by the unremarkable contents. The box was overflowing with tiny character figurines, loose marbles, costume jewelry far past its prime, and a friendly face that Toby hadn't seen in years.

"Hello Lancelot." He greeted the bear as he lifted the grungy, stuffed animal out of the box.

As Toby grasped the bear's body, a small item tucked beneath Lancelot's arm fell to the floor. The young man's thick eyebrows knitted in confusion. He hunched over to search for the item.

A red, leather bound book stared back at him with dull awareness. Though the edges had been worn, the gold lettering remained untarnished, still vivid as it had been years ago.

_The Labyrinth._

Toby fingered the book with care. He thought Sarah had gotten rid of the novel long ago. She had often read him the story and had added her own details to the story, as if she had personal knowledge of events in the book.

Toby believed her with the unfaltering trust as only a child could invest in such a fantasy. His desperation to validate all her findings had gnawed at him and drove him to seek out the source of her wicked tales of creatures in a maze, a castle filled with goblins and a powerful Goblin King. The unwavering conviction in her eyes and the gentle sincerity of her voice gave the indication that maybe; just maybe, Sarah had experienced the adventure herself.

Course, when relaying the account of the heroic tale, Sarah tended to deter the fantasy when she would halt mid-sentence with a confused wrinkle of her brow, as if trying to recall a forgotten portion of the story.

But it was so enthralling that Toby was convinced it was real, and he was determined to prove it. So one evening, Toby snuck into Sarah's bedroom for the last time. He managed to nab the book from her boudoir and tip-toe his way back to his room with little incident. With discreet enthusiasm, the young, curly haired Williams boy flipped to the tenth page and repeated the lines from memory.

He took a deep breath, brimming with nervous energy. "I wish the goblins would come and take me away, right…"

"Toby! Stop!" Sarah intervened with feverish reprimand.

A recent college graduate at the time, she had come home for a surprise visit. Sarah had knocked at Toby's door after seeing his small form sneak around the hallway. Unsure if he was playing a game, the older sibling went to remind him that his bedtime had passed. Through the door, she heard the same words her younger self had once uttered, and with quick reflexes, she reacted.

She took the book away and scolded him for his mischief. In her shaken state, she told the young boy that he could never call upon the goblins. Ever. If he did, he would be turned into a nasty, ugly creature and be subjected to terrible things at the hand of the wicked Goblin King.

And Sarah would be powerless to save him.

Frightened by the imagery, the boy didn't bother to dabble in his step-sister's fantasy toys without supervision. And he never again set eyes on the book until now.

An older, wiser Toby traced the soft cover of the book with delicate thought. It was probably the fondest memory he shared with Sarah as siblings, regardless of age difference.

He wished she was here to reminisce with him; though, she was bound to be skeptical of the ordeal.

As the years drew on, Sarah seemed to rebuff the tale altogether, insisting it was a childish dream. She once claimed that the story was a product of her deluded reality and extraordinary imagination.

Toby still wasn't sure if he believed her or not.

His line of sight drifted over the room with languid ease. Nothing else held remote interest as far as Sarah's personal life, save for the few play programs on the bookshelf.

The young man cradled Lancelot back in the box and put it back where it belonged. However, he managed to slip the fantasy book into his jacket, planning to read it to Sarah at the hospital. It was a long shot, but he was hopeful that her mind would recognize the passages and wake her.

Much like the piece of advice bestowed to the novel's young heroine by a dwarf, Toby didn't plan to take anything for granted.

* * *

Hoggle's nerves were jumbled, making him edgy and paranoid. Shuffling his feet with impatience, he waited with growing trepidation in the grand hall for the king.

He toyed with his hands, wringing and twisting them every which way until his pulse was throbbing with a dull ache.

"My word, is something ailing you, Sir Hoggle? You look quite pale." The small, avid fox terrier questioned with light unease, his ancient armor clanking as he poked Hoggle with his staff.

The dwarf was so distressed with his own nerves that he hardly noticed Didymus' physical query. "Not quite. I'm just...fidgety." It wasn't quite the right way to describe Hoggle's troubled state. The more appropriate term would be mortally petrified.

Course, the state of disarray of the entire castle did nothing to counteract the matter. Filthy goblins with their uncouth manners and chickens running about were nothing short of chaotic. In fact, much of the castle's lush greenery had fallen into a barren wasteland while sections of the once exuberant Labyrinth had been overrun with desolation.

The Underground, overall, had progressively begun to decay since the children of the Aboveground ceased to believe in magic. Scarcely was a child ever called upon to be taken by Goblins and even more rarely did the Goblin King ever journey to the Aboveground to coax an opponent to play his games.

The Labyrinth had never reclaimed its full function after the Goblin King had been defeated by a younger Sarah Williams, a feat that hadn't gone unnoticed by the Elders of the Underground Council.

Hoggle sorely managed to swallow past the dryness of his throat. Who was to say the Goblin King hadn't sent Sarah to the Dreamscape as punishment? After all, it was the realm of nightmares as well as dreams.

For that matter, even if Sarah had not been condemned to the Dreamscape by the King's own volition, why would he want to help the opponent who beat him?

"But yer majesty, the Council is requestin an audience with you immediately. They're saying it's urgent cause it regards the future of the Labyrinth." A tiny goblin, roughly the size of a stickweed bundle, chattered as he hobbled beside the King's boots.

The unfortunate goblin had been stuck with keeping the King's schedule, including royal duties. There was little to no reward for the thankless job, and no creature in the Labyrinth would take it willingly.

The goblin must have done something pretty nasty to earn the title.

"Fine, I'll tend to the matter myself, but I will do so at my own convenience. Now do not bother me again with the nuisance." Jareth was in one of his hostile moods again, a frequent occasion that happened more often than not.

Though the King was exasperated by his chief duties, the squat man of no extraordinary means did not escape his notice. "What is it now, Higgle?"

"It's Hoggle and there's a problem in the Dreamscape." Jareth still undermined the rumpled dwarf; Hoggle still refuted his insults by correcting him. It was an unnatural and defective relationship, but it worked.

"And why would there be a problem in the Dreamscape? That's why I have you." His flippant act was par as usual, exasperated by duties in which he had to mediate.

"Well, yes. But it's different this time. Someone's passed through the barriers and entered the Dreamscape in full conscious state." Hoggle stayed right on his heels, trying to relay any and all details.

"You mean this person is actually aware they're not in their world anymore?" His curiosity was peaked.

Hoggle's voice trailed off with blubbering incoherence, his version of explanation. "Yes! I don't know how it happened but somehow Sarah…"

"What…did you just say?" He turned on his foot with lightning speed while Hoggle ran into his leg. Rubbing his nose, Hoggle quickly regretted his words when Jareth began advancing with a dangerous air, marking each step with righteous dominance.

Hoggle stumbled over his large feet trying to back away from the irate noble. Back tracking his words wasn't the most ideal plan since Jareth already suspected something, but Hoggle did his damndest not to anger the King more. Else, the bog might have a new tenant.

The dwarf was losing ground fast and needed to redirect Jareth's attention to the actual issue. "I…uh, I mean…It's just a girl and…uh, I's thought you might be able to…"

"Indulge me. Tell me her name again." Jareth's tone held an edge of coyness, daring Hoggle to bold face lied to him if he had the nerve.

The small man, fearful and inferior, bowed his head to avoid meeting the King's piercing eyes. "Err, Sarah."

A scowl contorted the Goblin King's mouth. "I thought as much."

"Maybe it's another girl name's Sarah? My eyes have played tricks on me, ya know." The deep wrinkles in his face lifted with nervous humor, shaking with mechanic laughter.

The Goblin King, poised and beautiful, stared down the dwarf with an ill, shadowed intent. "Doubtful."

"Well…uh, are you…or we going to do anything about it?" What pride he had left forebode him to beg, but he was willing to compromise for Sarah.

"You can do whatever you like. I have given you enough power to transport in and out of the Dreamscape at will. I, on the other hand, have far too many important matters to deal with." Just like that, Jareth was back to his condescending self, displaying a healthy lack of empathy.

"But I's can't transport her out of the Dreamscape without her body, and you know it!" For the briefest moment, Hoggle forgot his place and his indignation overwhelmed him.

"Are you questioning my authority?" The reply was faint, but the gilded light flickering off the crystal in the King's hand promised an instantaneous retaliation.

The strength of magic churning in the air was undeniable. The older dwarf shuttered at the idea. "Uh…No, yer majesty."

"Then the issue is settled." There was no more to discuss; the King had made up his mind. As for other matters, he called his undignified royal assistant. "Grendel, tell the Council that I will grant their request and be at court by nightfall."

Jareth might have been arrogant, but he certainly was no fool.

A being would have to possess some fraction of magic in order to pass the Dreamscape's barrier in spirit. No one had been able to achieve such a feat from the Aboveground.

Even if possible, a mythical with immense power would have to provide safe passage or a mortal would be stuck between the hazy limbo of dreaming and death.

Jareth would report to the Council on the current state of the Labyrinth as required of his duty; however, the topic of a mortal trapped in the Dreamscape was sure to stir up debate. Most importantly, the elders could provide a resolution or if anything, clarification.

Either way, he had to act fast. If the Dreamscape mirrored the Labyrinth in magic and mentality, Sarah would not survive.

* * *

The young woman moved with swift feet as the dry leaves crunched beneath her.

She chased the crystal ball as it kept moving, undaunted by the large, misshapen branches in its path.

The iridescent ball had been leading the way since it conjured the entrance gates to open. Though a foolish notion, Sarah Williams had followed it with blind trust.

Since then, the magical bugger had been wandering aimlessly down the narrow passageway without a sign of a door or corner in sight.

With jarring abruptness, the crystal stopped in the middle of the stone walkway. Sarah caught herself in time before she slipped on the small object.

All the running and jumping over branches had lead her to…nothing. She was blocked in by wall to wall stone and overgrowth, the same thing that had greeted her when she had entered the maze.

She observed her surroundings with scrutiny. "This is it?"

…_You take too many things for granted._

A sudden quake shook the entirety of the passageway. Sarah was knocked off her feet, her dark hair tangling in her face as she hit the ground.

A section of the wall began to rattle with violent force, splitting in two as the great earthquake disrupted its foundation. Loose bricks tumbled and crackled as the two pieces of the wall moved aside to reveal a deeper corridor.

Inside, a chalk white gate with encircled ivy leaves stretched across the length of the wall.

Dusting herself off, Sarah lifted up off the ground and moved forward. An unknown instinct compelled her to know what lay beyond the gate, driving her to inspect its countenance.

The gate had been chiseled from something strong, light and not quite hallow. Absentminded, Sarah allowed her hand to drift over the edges of the front bars.

A shrill hissing noise caused the ivy vines to constrict with painful endeavor and push the gate open on its rickety hinges.

Shocked, a scream lodged in Sarah's throat before she could release it, making her sputter as she choked. The gate opened half way, but the vines were unyielding, still holding tight as if expecting something.

An obscure part of the young woman's vision behind her noticed a fevered jolt. The sound of stone and concrete grating against each other in a taxing manner was unnerving.

Sarah turned to witness the pieces of broken wall close in behind her.

"Wait!" Her cry went unanswered as the pieces adhered to each other, showing no signs of breakage.

The maze had trapped her, giving her no alternative but through the white gate.

Cautious, Sarah's mind kept her alert with all acute angles of perspective as she moved forward, wary as not to touch any portion of the alabaster opening.

In a remote corner past the entry, a sign materialized as both a warning and ominous greeting to those who would trespass. Situated high above the foggy ground, the sign made of rotting wood had scrawled letters, near illegible. Carved into the wood's surface, the script read

_Welcome to the Boneyard. _


	5. Victims of Circumstance

I finally got struck with a bit of inspiration for this chapter, so it's a good length. Just to let you know, this chapter maybe rated a soft R for graphic content. I tried to restrain from getting too graphic, but I had to have some in order to create some kind of atmosphere. Forgive me if you're squeamish, and you have been warned.

Please enjoy!

* * *

Jareth had never bothered to hide his distaste for the Elders of the Underground Council. They were bitter mythicals ruined by their own pompous scheming. For that reason, the Goblin King could neither respect their decrees nor heed their summons without a bit of uncivil petulance.

Thus, it came as noticeable surprise when the Goblin King kept his engagement with Council at first summons.

"Ah, Jareth, I am pleased to see that you are prompt in fulfilling our request for a gathering. Usually, we have to send a threat in order to gain your attention. You are showing great strides in taking your royal obligations more seriously." Aldric, a fae that was the oldest and wisest of the members, always had spoken as if he had faith in Jareth's intentions, as ill-placed or unfounded as they may be.

For his part, Jareth kept pleasantries to a minimum. The Council had set high expectations for him since he had arrived in a timely manner; thus, it was his rightful duty to assure they understood that his was not a compliant visit. "I fear that I have not come here of your agenda, Aldric, but with one of my own."

Aldric's clear, amber eyes nearly glimmered with amusement to the other Elders' chagrin. "I see you are not without some measure of humility."

Modesty had never been a strength of his; a fact in which many of the inhabitants of the Underground were aware. Looking particularly proud, Jareth straightened. "Of course, I wouldn't approach the members of Council unless the issue was of the utmost importance."

A rotund, rosaceous dwarf rose from his chair with haste and heavy force. "So are we to understand you came here to discuss your affair, and would dare to ignore our own?" The entirety of the Council seemed less than cordial about the notion, whispering harsh opinions amongst themselves about the Goblin King.

Jareth's charm never faltered; he smiled with grandeur, showing his sharp white teeth. "No, not ignore, perhaps…reschedule."

If possible, the stout dwarf turned a deeper shade of crimson as his bulbous nose flared with ire. Little beads of perspiration began to streak down his face as his features contorted into a pudgy scowl. "You insolent, little son of a whore..."

"Claudius, perhaps we should hear what he has to say before we make an accusation." Aldric snapped his voice at the younger dwarf, somehow managing to be curt while staying polite. The silver-haired fae had little tolerance for juvenile tactics like name calling, especially those that came from Council members.

He turned back to Jareth with mild interest, calm and expectant. He made an elegant gesture with his hand to signal the young royal. "Proceed."

With a slight nod, the statuesque King continued in the same languid tone with which he had begun, undaunted by the outburst. "I have a right to believe a human has entered the Dreamscape."

An uproar of astonish circulated around the elaborate court; the tall, decorated ceilings and thick columns amplified the cries of skepticism and the unspoken fear for what a Dreamscape intrusion could indicate.

A stern, immaculate elf shouted in disbelief, his words echoing the same concern as the other Elders as he demanded proof. "That is outlandish. Have you seen this human yourself?"

A wave of tension gathered swift and unrelenting within the room as the Elders waited for an answer. Jareth shifted with minor unease as the imposing glares of the Council bore into him, demanding clarification for such a claim. "No. But my Dreamscape keeper has seen and interacted with this human personally."

Aldric lifted his chin and examined the man before him with close consideration. The ancient fae detected a fraction of the truth was not being fully disclosed to the Council.

Meaning Jareth had something to hide regarding the trapped human.

"Do you know this human?"

The Goblin King hesitated for only a brief second but retained his composure. "…Yes."

A small ruckus of allegation swirled within the court as the Elders spoke to one another in hushed tones. Still, Aldric's gaze never left the young ruler. "How?"

A practiced, dignified air that had been bred for the duty of King surfaced for the benefit of the Council audience, quieting the cynics. Jareth shrugged with casual indifference, his dark metal armor clanking with light strain. "Some years ago, I challenged her."

But Aldric would not be fooled so easily. "Would the human happen to be Sarah Williams?"

The Council Hall grew still with deliberate expectancy.

"Would it be of any significance if she was?"A defensive counter was the immediate, natural reaction to such a tender line of questioning; albeit, in hindsight, it was not the wisest move.

The straight-faced Aldric seemed to change with an immediate strict and sullen look that was only characteristic of his more serious rulings. "As a matter of fact, it would. We summoned you here to discuss the matter of Ms. Williams."

Though stunned by the purposeful admission, Jareth sensed the Council's reveling pleasure in his ignorance to their vague and ominous details; he was not amused. "I'm listening."

The silver-haired fae's solemn and brisk dismissal of Jareth's indignation was all the more concerning. "We believe, during your last…confrontation with Ms. Williams, a small fraction of the Labyrinth's magic was bestowed to her. Since the Labyrinth is in such a state of despondency, it has seemed the entity is refuting your rule as the channel of its magic." Though he was well aware of the condition of his kingdom, the news still caused the unruly Goblin King to flinch.

Even the Elf, an old militant man from the Underground Army, could do little to hold back the reprimand and disgrace masked in his features. "In accordance, it has begun collecting stray pieces of magic necessary to aid in its revolt."

"So you think that the Labyrinth is trying to extract the magic left with the human? And this is all based on your speculation correct? So in theory, what exactly am I to do about the Labyrinth?" The strained, rhetorical challenge was more a heated statement than a question. The Elders were insinuating doubt in Jareth's reign about how he ruled his kingdom, and he would not stand to be berated by a Council who wouldn't know the first thing about presiding over an unpredictable, living maze that was one of the only ancient mythicals left in the Underground.

The seething dwarf took his cue to interject with a glowering tone that was a bit too enthusiastic for Jareth's liking. "See to it that the Williams woman is collected before the Labyrinth can take its power back, and then she is to be brought to us."

It was of no consequence what fate befell the girl; still, there was a moderate amount of intrigue that had yet to be satisfied concerning her importance. Jareth's curiosity was peaked. "She is not to be returned back to her own world?"

"In the unlikely event that you fail, we are prepared to relinquish you of your duty as the Goblin King." The lack of a straight forward response did not go unnoticed. Instead, a serious, credible threat substituted as a suitable reply for the audacious Goblin King.

"You would strip me of my title and power?" The tips of his gloved fingers sparked with the transparent form of an opulent crystal, pulsating with enough power to cause the Elders significant harm. The hall churned with visible movement as the magic filled the air, circling around Jareth in smoky strands of silver.

The Elders did not seem intimidated by the show of power, regardless of how extraordinary it might be. Their rule was law, and to willfully disobey would mean conviction of treason; a crime punishable by death.

It was a risk too valuable for Jareth to take, and they knew it.

"Calm yourself, Goblin King." Aldric's booming baritone was unrelenting, and the only voice of reason in which the King would listen. "If we deem that you have not acted in the best interest of your realm, you will be stripped of your magic and kingdom. Do not defy us, Jareth."

So that was to be the end of it.

A true testament to their self-important hypocrisy, they were to take everything from him, yet even as King, he could do nothing to stop or refute them unless he obeyed their orders. Even as he bit his tongue with abhorrence so hard he tasted the copper of his blood, he bowed his head accordingly.

With the agreement set, all the Elders stood as one. Aldric nodded his head to Jareth, signaling him permission to leave. "This summons is concluded."

* * *

She moved forward without so much as a sound or even a breath.

The fog accumulated along the ground, thickening and moving in rushing swirls that were waist deep and impossible to see past. Sarah's heart beat with a frantic urgency, the hairs of her arm prickling as she moved through the cold denseness.

The ground was soft and uneven beneath her feet, interrupted only by the occasional rock protruding from the ground. She took great care not to trip, lest she drown in the fog.

As soon as she was a few feet inside the white, bone gates, the ivy crunched as they loosened their hold on the bars. The gate slammed shut with a resounding bang that made Sarah cry out in fear.

"Must be careful around here." A hoarse, disembodied female voice among the fog penetrated the stiff atmosphere, warning her of a danger that wasn't altogether apparent.

But something about that voice bothered Sarah, making her stop in her tracks to search the visible surface of the smog and try to find the woman. The only thing still visible in the distance of the mist was the rotted sign that looked as if it was about to fall apart into splinters.

Still, Sarah could almost hear the woman's voice in her head, outraged and baffled by the girl's presence for a reason she couldn't quite recall.

_Why don't you look where you're going, young woman?_

"Where are you going?" The woman had a voice aged by time and struggle; she also sounded as if she was taking great effort to conceal her grouchiness. But more importantly, her diction was clear, distinct and definitely closer than before.

Sarah began to step with light feet in the opposite direction of the woman's voice.

Her speech was slow and methodical as she adjusting her perspective from where she stood and estimating where the old woman could be. "I'm not sure. Just trying to go home, I guess."

The purpose and destination of Sarah's journey escaped her as details became distorted. She was having a hard time recalling where or what home was.

"If you're not sure where you're going, how do you know you're not there already?" The woman was teasing her with a coy, omniscient voice. Sarah could almost sense the woman was wearing a secret smile while speaking.

Sarah didn't trust herself to answer. It was hard to think with nothing but grayness and fog in her sight. But silence could hide her insecurity and confusion.

The ground jolted with a severe upheaval that caused tremors to chase under her feet.

She felt a shift in the ground as a black, solid bulge erupted from the fog. The bulge began to form into a mound gathered from crawling fog, soft earth, and the hard rocks scattered in the ground into a towering seven foot structure. Sarah staggered backwards, disoriented from her own panic. From the earth and rock collected, a face of a wrinkled, tattered creature took shape in the mound. The mound itself lumped together into a disorganized pile of rock and dirt on the creature's back, forcing the creature to crouch low to the ground.

A familiar, weathered face topped with grimy blonde hair stared back at Sarah with knowing eyes, possessing the voice of the old woman. "Now, my dear, where were you going?"

Sarah's speech was mumbled; her head fuzzy with clusters of irrelevant and empty thoughts. She staggered in her step, her body languid and uncooperative as if foreign to her. Even the mist around her felt surreal. "I'm looking for…something. Something that will help me get back."

"Well, look here." As if by magic, the grungy woman grasped a glass orb from thin air, presenting it to the dark-haired beauty. The mound of earth attached to the woman shuffled as she inched closer to Sarah. "I'm sure this is what you're looking for, isn't it, my dear." The hag's tone was prying, but forceful, reaching beyond suggestion and was insistent.

Sarah reached out, taking the glass orb and coddling it with sacred reverence to her chest.

The old hag smiled as best she could manage with her pock-face; however, her motives did not seem all together just, seeming to know something the human didn't.

Holding the orb, Sarah considered it, staring into it until the luminescent colors inside the glass swam before her eyes.

* * *

Fidgeting with the book in his hands, Toby sat in the uncomfortable, upright chair at the end of the hospital bed.

His sister remained stable after the last incident caused her to convulse. Still, steady diet of drugs was being administered, and doctors stayed dubious as ever about the details of her coma state. However, now Sarah had acquired routine sessions with a physical therapist in order to keep her muscles intact and prevent her from getting bed sores.

From the looks of things, they believed she wouldn't be out of the coma for quite some time.

The monitors beside the bed hummed and beeped with monotonous repetition as the stale, sterile scent clogged the tiny room with an intense fragrance. Toby felt his gag reflexes kick in again as he swallowed past the nausea.

Sarah's younger brother was getting anxious, if not a bit desperate. He hated hospitals, and hated it even more so that his sister had to be confined in one.

Though, Sarah was in no immediate danger; the doctors insisted that she continue in the care of the hospital until her condition could be explored and diagnosed properly, or until she was conscious again and the appropriate tests could be employed.

"Well, at least I brought some reading material, right?" The young, mop-headed boy cracked open the leather binding and began his tale.

"Once, there was a beautiful, young girl with a wicked stepmother who treated her as a slave. The girl was bound by obligation to watch and care for her baby brother, a spoiled child who wanted everything for himself. But what no one knew was that the King of the Goblins had fallen in love with the girl and he had given her certain powers…" Toby voice drifted off as the hospital room's atmosphere changed from a stiff, disquiet comfort to an eerie, accustom disturbance. Something about reading that certain portion of the book felt uncomfortable and strained given their intermittent yet ardent history of sibling disagreements.

Toby flipped through the book with mild interest. "Not my favorite part. Let's skip to the good stuff."

The alcohol smell melted away and left the soft fragrance of lilac blossoms in its wake. It smelt like his mother's perfume that she always applied in her bedroom. He could almost hear Sarah's teenage voice, recanting the story from heart as she had done so many times in her vanity mirror. He continued, unhindered from the fantasy the images of the book created.

"'Give me the child', she pleaded with her innocent eyes. 'Through dangers untold and hardships unnumbered, I have fought my way here to the castle beyond the Goblin City to take back the child that you have stolen, for my will is as strong as yours, and my kingdom is as great…'"

An angry crash of thunder roared in the sky as the young man jumped from his perch, startling him out of his concentration and forcing him to his feet.

The wind seemed harsher than usual, if not a bit uncharacteristic for this time of year. But the funny thing was: he hadn't notice it raining.

A stir of rustling bed sheets filled the silent room with a gentle distraction. Toby cast his eyes to the bed in order to see his sister's left shoulder twitch as she gulped a quick, shaky intake of breath.

Toby could hardly contain himself; he answered her reaction with a frantic plea, moving closer to her bed until he was by her head. "Sarah? Sarah! Can you hear me? Can you move or speak? Sarah? Sarah!"

_

* * *

_

Give me the child.

She could hear his voice echoing in her head, breaking through her sluggish thoughts. But she knew if she looked around, he wouldn't be there. He was somewhere far away…the same place she should be now.

The crystal's surface danced with images of antique trinkets, loved toys, and fantasy books that had once littered Sarah's room. The items were just out of reach; all she had to do was look deep enough into the orb and she could almost touch them, as if they would materialize in her hand.

A voice again, clear and determined as ever cut through the sinking mist.

…_I have fought my way here to the castle beyond the Goblin City to take back the child that you have stolen…._

She grew despondent and uncertain, looking at the orb with indifference.

The old, haggard woman could sense her distress so she encouraged the impressionable woman with a chipper tone. "What's a matter, dear? Don't you like your toy?"

Sarah's eyes snapped upwards, watching the reserved innocence of the old hag's face lose a fraction of its convincement. It wasn't much, but it was enough for Sarah to know what the woman made of dirt had been smiling about. The orb slipped from her fingers into the murky fog below, lost in the running torrent.

"It's junk." Sarah stated matter-of-fact. "It's always been junk."

The old hag's tone rose in pitch with an outrageous cry as her skin began to melt and bubble as if the entirety of her body boiled from within. "This is not junk!" She reproduced the orb in her hand, shaking it with all her frail might.

The dirt on the woman's back began to shift and rattle as slews of earth dissolved. Incased on her back was entwined skeletons of all shapes and sizes, gnashing their teeth and tearing their sharp, boney fingers into her rotting skin.

The ground fog began to disperse, revealing chunks of disturbed earth with skulls and bones protruding through the black, brittle surface.

Grunting and pushing past the outstretched hands of bone, Sarah ran towards the crumbling ivory gate as the ivy vines wilted and lost all stability. As her feet patted across the cracking earth, something strong took hold of her leg and yanked her, causing her to trip and land forward on her knees and elbows.

Pushing up on her hands, the young human tried to pull her leg out from under her, but was again yanked further back. Looking back, a large, lanky skeleton with shredded clothes and bloody bones twisted and clawed at Sarah's leg, making her yelp in pain.

"Where are you going, young woman?" The skull hissed and crackled at the human with black, hollow eyes and grinding, yellow teeth. Her leg wouldn't budge, caught in the steel grip of the skeleton's unyielding hands.

"No! I have to find a way back to Toby." Sarah kicked her legs with all her pent up strength, relentless to shake loose of the skeleton's crushing hold.

From somewhere outside her sight, a crystal orb glided across the turbulent earth and shuttering bodies as it made its way to a trapped Sarah. Grabbing the orb, Sarah flashed the crystal in the face of the skull as a piercing light engulfed the orb, projecting outwards.

The skeleton released Sarah's leg and screamed with curdling anguish, shielding the hollows of his eye with the thin bones of his fingers. "It burns!"

On her feet once more, the woman dodged other reaching skeletons as some pleaded for their helpless souls and others laughed with maniacal recklessness. Sliding around the disintegrating ground, Sarah leaped to the other side of the gate as the earth opened beyond the gates and swallowed the boneyard, skeletons and all.

* * *

"Sir, there has been no change in her state. Now will you please calm down." The nurse had the best of intentions with a demure, patient deposition, but Toby had always been stubborn.

"No, she responded. She took a deep breath and she twitched." His sister's response was so close to being a ray of hope, but the actual reality made it feel so far away.

"Sir, it is completely normal for a coma patient to twitch. Don't be alarmed." The nurse was frank with her answer. No leading on, no complicated details. She obviously had encountered anxious relatives many a time.

The nurse turned to leave, addressing him from the doorway. "I'll come back to check again before you leave. And just to let you know, visiting hours are almost over."

He took a moment to collect himself. "…Alright." Toby owed his parents and Sarah an apology. This is what he imagined it must have felt like arguing with him at 8 years-old, convinced you're right and knowing nothing otherwise.

In their moment of privacy, Toby confessed with a small voice. "I'm sorry, Sarah."

As the rationalization for his offense bubbled on his tongue, an amusing memory of Sarah's idea of corporal punishment to a sordid child for his crime crossed his mind. A peculiar sensation of humor overtook the boy, and he began to laugh in spite of his desperation and disappointment.

Through his welling eyes, he gave in to his temptation to say such an absurd thing. "If it makes you feel better, I wish the goblins WOULD come and take me away right now."

The lights flickered for an instant, enough for the darkness to overcome the small room.

When the lights of the room were re-established, the young man was nowhere to be found.


	6. Quid Pro Quo

This chapter moves pretty fast, but it has a lot of little details strewn in. Next chapter is already in the works, hopefully it will be out soon. Enjoy!

* * *

The spell was taking form, slow and deliberate in calculation. The crystal's energy extended out beyond the physical realm of the Underground and into the precarious world of the Dreamscape. As the spell strived to fulfill its purpose, the looking crystal's vision filled with an inky blackness.

The spell wavered as it became smothered by a magic more powerful than that of its caster.

As the spell continued to weave through the immense, broken walls of the Labyrinth's Dreamscape, a sudden, unseen force took hold of the stray magic and crushed it, diminishing the spell into the obscurity of the Dreamscape.

The looking crystal cracked in his hands; the glass splitting and shattering into tiny shards of dark-tinted fragments. Jareth averted his eyes from the powerful burst, shielding himself from the ancient magic that radiated from the crystal's implosion.

So the Labyrinth wanted to play hardball with its keeper.

His patience was growing thin, and his options were running out. If the Labyrinth insisted on blocking his vision, the Goblin King would have no choice but to search within the Labyrinth's Dreamscape manually. Jareth produced another crystal, peering inside to find nothing but an opaque shadow.

So be it.

The wide, solid oak doors of the throne room swung open with a gentle intrusion. A tall, thin fae with hair white as a first snow of winter entered the cluttered throne room, his movements elegant and poised.

Jareth withdrew from his languid position on the throne made of draped silk and carved bone, standing out of respectful habit. The King addressed the intruder with a knowing smile. "Aldric, to what do I owe the honor?"

The aged Council member appeared less susceptible to Jareth's charm than usual, waving off the Goblin King's greeting and commanding his undivided attention. "I came to speak with you."

Jareth brushed past him without a glance, denying the elder fae the opportunity to speak to the King as an equal. "I think you said all that was necessary during the summons." Though Aldric was one of the only elders that would dare grace his presence uninvited, it did not mean his meddling was altogether welcome.

"Now, Jareth, don't be offended. I have a job to do, just as you." As apologetic as the regret sounded, it was still a far cry from an actual apology. Mentor or not, Aldric understood himself to be absolved of guilt through the justification of Council duties.

Jareth grimaced. His old ally had been exposed to the other self-important members so long that he began to think akin to their logic.

"Fine. Then speak your peace and be done with it. I must return to capturing the girl as you have so graciously requested me to do." The King's stance was stiff with defiance while his impatient tone indicated the distaste of submission.

However, Aldric had not come to argue about the details of the Council appointed command, and he was in no mood to coddle Jareth's sore ego. His was a mission much more pertinent. "I came to warn you. The Council is taking into account your every move and the Labyrinth's gradual degradation; if you so much as make one mistake, they plan on abdicating you from the throne."

The elder sidestepped the array of metal goblets on the floor, his long, white robes gliding silent along the cobblestone. Following the King's lead, Aldric turned to face Jareth as the information was absorbed. Jareth's mood shifted, his shoulders straightening and the sulking tone depleted from his voice.

Jareth eyed the Council member with curiosity as concern for his high position laced his voice for the first time. "And just how would they manage that when my task has yet to be complete?" He spoke with slow annunciation, mindful of whom he was speaking with yet not at all pleased with the development of more intimidation.

"They have their ways." The silver-haired fae remained resolute and vague; his insinuation meaning the Council's handlings could very well veer into the unlawful. Jareth was unprepared for such a battle should the Council choose to use their more criminal connections; a fact Aldric had already taken into consideration.

The Goblin King moved about the room with distraction, his mind working in a thousand directions at once. However, he lost sight of the dark shards of glass that didn't escape Aldric's notice. With a genial inquiry, the old fae pointed to the shards scattered along the floor. "Are you having trouble locating the girl?"

Stepping back, Jareth dismissed his line of questioning, playing ignorant to an otherwise petty setback. "I know all that transpires within my Labyrinth." Without preamble of any sort, there was a powerful, simultaneous tug at his magic and his conscious; a sensation that had continued to die out over the last decade.

The sensation was too insistent to be just a request from the Aboveground. Someone had been wished away.

He ignored the wish in favor of the goblins to handle. He would make his grand presentation for the challenger once the Goblins reported to him.

Aldric released a hearty laugh at the expense of the Goblin King's obstacle of making the Labyrinth cooperate. It would appear that the ancient magic and its keeper were both too stubborn for their own good. "Ha. So the Labyrinth has cast you a blind eye."

True as it might have been, his statement made Jareth prickle with indignation, forgetting the bounds of his status and lashing out with snide haste. "As I am aware, you are not its keeper and do not know its actions."

"Do not insult me, boy." The retort was lightning fast and the authority of Aldric's voice spoke volumes of a time where he was once the head general of the great Underground Army. The promise of reprimand hung in the air of the congested throne room with regrettable silence. "I know more than you think. For instance, I know about the soul mending you performed, which the Council would have your head for if they knew."

The illustrious King was a formidable enemy if engaged in a match of strength and magic; however, serving under Aldric's rank had allowed Jareth to realize the elder fae's tactics outweighed his own.

Still, he didn't seem surprised by Aldric's deduction; if anything, there was a wry satisfaction that the old General hadn't caught on to Jareth sooner. "And you have yet to tell them?"

The old fae's eyes turned a turbulent sienna color. "I am giving you this last chance, Jareth. If you fail, there is nothing more I can do for you."

The King's refusal to answer was an invitation for trouble.

With a brandish, crooked smile, Jareth held up his hand in mock defeat, advocating his innocence. "That's why I have you."

Three nosey hobgoblins stuck their pudgy noses through the crack of the entrance doors without discretion. Their despairing need to please made them attentive, yet had the nasty habit of making them intrusive.

Jareth felt no immediate need to indulge their prying.

He addressed the bumbling trio. "Are you three finished snooping or must I send you to the bog of Eternal Stench?"

The three tripped over themselves scrambling to get inside the door, fearful of the King's ability to transport them in an instant to the rancid bog. While two of the little mongrels managed to situate their presence in front of the king, the third hobgoblin, a plump and large creature with a snouted nose, rolled into the unsoiled, spotless robes of Aldric's feet.

Jareth's frustration rose, indicating the goblin at the general's feet with a rise of his hand. "You better have a good excuse or else…" The sentence rang with trite menace for the clumsy creatures. The stocky, mud-colored goblin lurched to his feet with an awful grumble. Aldric appeared tolerant yet considerate of the uncoordinated creatures that Jareth presided over, watching with a careful eye on how the King carried out his rule and treated his subordinates.

"Oh, no. I mean, yes, your majesty! We came to tell you about the boy." The first one, a thin male with a pointed nose, piped up in order to verify their interruption.

"Yes, yes, the boy! The boy!" The second hobgoblin, a bouncy, hyper manic male with an inability to stand still, exclaimed in a sing-song voice and danced in elation.

The plump, male goblin with small tusks and snout, thoughtless and slow, declared matter-of-fact. "The boy that was here before…."

The two loud, boisterous goblins turned with simultaneous action and barked at the other shy goblin. "Shut up!"

Though Aldric found their mannerisms amusing to a degree, the goblins' pitching voices were beginning to wear Jareth's jaded nerves, baffling him as they were adamant on running circles around the point of conversation. "What are you blathering about?"

The pointy-nose goblin, without so many words, designated himself leader by speaking for all of them. "The boy, the baby with the white and red striped outfit, was here before."

Jareth couldn't quite grasp his thought process and what significance it had to the matter in which they were discussing. "And what exactly does that mean?"

"We mean he's back." Unaware, the squatty, chunky goblin showed no conservation in breaking the jarring news with ease.

The two other goblins maintained their determination to gang up on the poor, dim goblin, snapping in unison. "SHUT UP!"

After a second warning, the third goblin hung his large head in shame. "Oops, Sorry."

"You mean, Toby, the baby that was claimed back by his sister?" The information unsettled the Goblin King. A challenger, especially one who had entered the Underground before, could prove to be a nuisance.

The main goblin, with a pointy-nose and jagged teeth, confirmed the King's uncertainties. "Yea, that one."

Aldric took to chuckling at Jareth's obvious astonish and discomfort. "Well, I guess you have your hands full, old boy."

Jareth slid him a knowing, if not sharp, glance. The interference of a challenger, a relative of Sarah Williams or not, would make securing the Labyrinth's Dreamscape for a rescue mission all the more complicated. This could be a cause of major problems. "Just how did he return?"

The goblins hesitated, twiddling their thumbs and looking at the head goblin for leadership. The main goblin's voice almost broke with an ironic chuckle, but he thought better of it. He would do better not to end up in the Bog. "You see, Sire, he kinda…wished himself away. So, we have him now."

Jareth pinched his nose, taking a moment not to let his blood boil over. His ligaments strained with the effort of his magic to let loose an enchantment that would transport everyone into the oubliette. His vision began to blur as he physically composed himself.

Though, he still felt like kicking something in order to release his stress, and the small creatures were about to become subject to his abuse if they didn't leave. "Fine, have him ready at the front gates of the Labyrinth. I will greet him there."

A fair amount of humor could be sensed from Aldric, a trait that had been vacant in earlier years that he was more than compensating for in light of Jareth's predicament. "Things just kept getting better, don't they?"

The appeal to kick Aldric was becoming harder to resist.

Regardless of the pleasure he could derive from a swift boot to the elder fae's shins, Jareth put the thought from his mind in favor of considering the outcome of Toby's fate. He digressed with a careless flick of his prim hand, producing a clear, crystal orb in his palm. "I will permit the Labyrinth to do what it wills to the boy, should he choose to run."

The Goblin King's certain lack of ethics had run its course for his old ally. If the King wanted to keep his kingdom in some show of order, he would have to play by the Labyrinth's rules or abide by the Council's orders. Either way, there could be no leniency on this count, not like before. "Let me remind you, Jareth. The Labyrinth is in no condition for a runner. If the Labyrinth decides the boy's fate or even if you intervene, it is still within the rules of the mystical code of the Underground. However, the Labyrinth is resisting your dominion and the maze itself is still wasting away. If the boy should be swallowed by the likes of rubble caused by your negligence as keeper, you will become liable for his death; a move the Council will see as grounds for abdication."

Shoulders straight and with the bare tinge of exhaustion lacing a laden sign, the regal fae exuded a precision in weighing his possibilities and to what costs. If the old general didn't know better, he would swear that his protégé was hiding a devious mastermind behind the Goblin King facade. After a long moment of pensive silence, Jareth inquired with little discretion. "Then what would you suggest I do?"

Aldric had already formulated an answer just as he knew Jareth had done so as well. His query was mere formality and a display of respect to his old commander. "The boy is Sarah Williams' brother, correct? I'm sure you'll think of something."

Somehow, the old, cunning fae already knew what the King had in mind.

* * *

The bright yellow stretch of endless sun in the sky made the boy woozy with its radiance and heat. He lacked the concentration to survey his surroundings, paying little heed to the changing landscape and stone mortar walls that forever extent into the horizon.

He heard the rustling of eager wind and the creaking of barren trees behind him before he sensed the presence of another.

"Am I to believe you've learned nothing from your sister's mistakes?" The lithe, polished accented voice prompted with a wicked sense of ironic reprimand.

Toby knew that voice; he had heard it many times in his dreams from a time before he could remember. Turning, Toby watched as a man dressed in black leather and armor plates stood resolute and every inch the terrifying adversary that Sarah had painted him to be.

Though there was reasonable space between the two men, distance didn't diminish the power of the Goblin King's question.

Toby swallowed his nervousness. "It's you...So, you are real." His statement was more an assurance to himself than for the benefit of his impassive audience.

Jareth flashed a crooked half-smile, observing the young man with a sly tilt of his head. "I'm not altogether surprised that you don't quite remember. You were so young the last time you were here." The drone was something akin to reminiscent, as if the armor-clad man recalled a shared moment in Toby's life that had long since past.

"But it couldn't have been real. Sarah said it was just a story." The mere mention of his sister's name made the other man withdrawal his flourished greeting with disapproval. The lilt in the King's voice acquired a dangerous undertone as his movements stiffened.

"Stories are like dreams. They're as real as you make them. Your sister should have taught you that." The frowning complaint held an edge of biting resentment, the familiar obstinacy of a man shunned.

Sarah had once mentioned that the Goblin King liked toying with his opponents. The exchange was, as Toby suspected, like a clandestine game of sorts; whomever was the first to fold would be the last to get what they wanted. With brilliant amber eyes, Toby grew audacious with no fear of reproach. "Where is she? I want her back." As an afterthought, he added with slight fatigue. "Please."

His earnest desperation almost had Jareth in a surge of pity for the young boy. Almost. "I do not have her. But, what I do have, is you."

"What?" Toby was still too naïve to understand how the rules of the Underground worked. So Jareth enlightened him, a task that would have been more poignant coming from his sister.

"You wished yourself away, did you not? What's said is said." The assertion was a blatant jab of baited triumph, a common courtesy he bestowed to all challengers for their foolishness.

The fair-complexioned young man balked with dread, paling with the foreboding warnings that Sarah had uttered so many times before. "But I…I didn't mean it." Toby's hasty rash of boldness was beginning to fall short and losing ground quickly.

The Goblin King was powerful enough to transport Toby to a strange, magical world, undoubtedly the King's domain. There was most likely a whole host of magic at the King's disposal, and the young man may end up on the wrong side of an enchantment if he wasn't careful.

Jareth mulled for a brief moment, distracted by the far reaches of the Labyrinthine walls. All consequences were being considered, just as he had taken them into account before his appearance to Toby. He shrugged in casual indifference. "Sarah is trapped in the Labyrinth's Dreamscape. Get her out of the Dreamscape within 13 hours or she will be trapped in the Labyrinth forever."

Trailing with nimble words came as a natural response considering the King gave no other alternative. "And if I get her out her, will you let both of us go?"

Poised and nonchalant, the king scrutinized the question with a sensible amount of logic as he feed the young boy half-truth. "I will let you go. Her fate is to be decided by the Head Council."

Toby's thick brows furrowed in confusion, but an uncharacteristic intuition inclined him to take the offer. This could be his best and only chance to save Sarah. Still, the young boy had no invariable proof the king could be trusted.

The question built in his mind, churning with the idea of the Goblin King's proposition, until he asked with apparent awareness that he might not get an honest answer. "Why should I trust you?"

"You're sister has obviously told you about her time here. You must know that when you wish someone away, a challenger either runs the Labyrinth or loses the one they wished away." Jareth respected the reluctance and had a thorough mind about him to appreciate the young Williams' boy's caution. "Besides, it would do me no good to harm your sister, and this way, we could both get what we want." The answer was somewhat a reward of safe integrity coupled with the fact that Toby could most likely spot a lie, and would refuse the offer in an instant if believed to be misleading.

"And what is that?" Still, the boy was stubborn to reach an accord so readily, especially when the stakes were so high.

He was more like his sister than Jareth had originally thought.

"You get to free your sister from the Dreamscape while I attain the good graces of the Council members. She has something very valuable and once she has released it to them, she will be free to go back to your world." No sense in deceiving the boy for pure pleasure. The Council would in all probability let Sarah go if she returned the Labyrinth's magic, and all would be as it was. Perhaps then Jareth would be rid of the Williams' siblings' inconvenient trouble. Otherwise, Sarah would be placed in Jareth's stead with which he could do with her as he saw fit.

The boy better hope that did not happen.

With a grudging response, the agreement was arranged. "Alright. But I stay with her at all times, I go when she goes." For Toby, it was suitable until he could come up with a better plan.

The King, in all his smug glory, stepped forward with overt zeal that was a mark of unabashed victory of sorts. "A search and rescue team has been assembled to find the girl. If you wish to join them, you must come with me." A black gloved hand was offered in exchange for Toby's cooperation, to take it would mean no turning back.

Before his better judgment could interject, Toby gripped his opponent's hand with a firm hold as an extraordinary tingling sensation shot up his arm and coursed through his body with hurried delight.

They were transported in a gilded, transparent flash of magic.

* * *

The cavernous walls that surrounded her glistened with a dull gray shimmer.

The Boneyard had been retracted back into earth, but when Sarah had leapt beyond the gates, she had been spared the same fate. Now, the Dreamscape changed again as the sides of the dusty mist curved upwards to solidify and take the form of uneven stalagmites and stalactites.

The Labyrinth had trapped her inside a dank, dark cave.

The isolation was claustrophobic, making her pant for every breath, and the silent bleakness was something she equated to a prison cell. Spots started to dance before her eyes with fevered diligence, lingering for prolonged periods of time.

Sarah had no idea how long she had been stuck in the cave or even the Dreamscape for that matter. Her circumstance and sanity were slipping out of her control, and there was no way she supposed could get it back. Not without help.

An inviting, copper-colored light began to pulsate with life around Sarah's wrist, shrouding the small cave in opulent warmth.

Beyond the distance of the cavern walls, the patter of small feet could be distinguished moving closer with slow steadiness.

A raspy voice pierced through the walls with muted, faint clarity. "Oh, where is that girl?"

Sarah strained to hear outside the exterior of the solid rocks, her ear pressed flat to the cold surface of the rough wall. With timid fervor, she yelled with a scratchy and elated voice. "Hello?" Delicate hands slithered against the dry texture of the rock formations with direct intention, seeking a hole or slit that might enable a glimpse on the opposite side of her cavern imprisonment.

"Come on, you three. We don't have all day." Hoggle could detect their mounting weariness, but managed to press onwards with their mission, undaunted and gruff with the misfits that tagged along. Sarah must be close; the connection in his mind intensified with a moderate ache the further east of the gates they ventured.

Within the rocky cave, a chorus of tiny, ringing bells accompanied by sliding glass chimed with a resounding echo along the loose dirt of the floor. Sarah discovered a crystal skimming across the floor with methodical choice as if acting under an outside source's volition. The glass orb lifted itself up to the large wall of rock in front of Sarah, hovering for a brief instant until popping under fragile pressure into hundreds of silver sparks.

An inconsequential crack began forming in the rock, elongating and widening to leak sunlight through the small opening. A breeze caught between the sides of the splintered rock and drifted into the room, circulating with a taste of fresh air. Sarah squeezed her body against the aperture with only enough room to glimpse a host of remote figures breaching her line of sight.

Blithe, furry feet trotted with avid resilience across the stone pavement, languid from travel but hardy with determination all the same. "I say, Sir Hoggle, are you sure our lady was here?"

A minor tremor traced through the ground unchecked, followed by the heavy sway of two broad, padded feet. "Sa-rah?" The deep, rumbling call stirred the air with dejected urgency and hopeful prospect as Ludo waited for a heartening reply in return.

Sarah eyes welled, relieved but still guarded with hasty provision; lest, the creatures be a source of her overworked and unsteady wits. Her heart lodged in her throat with a rush of fever and adoration for the friends she believed had been lost to her. "Yes! Yes, I'm here! Hoggle, Didymus, Ludo! Help!"

The party was no more than five yards from where she was trapped; still, no one reacted to her raised voice.

"Uh…Hoggle, are you sure we're going the right way?" Toby's negligence of the Labyrinth's intelligence and his understated annoyance had been present since Jareth had stuck the sullen boy with the latchkey bunch.

But the boy had a point. There was no way of knowing they were even going the right direction. All they had for guidance was Hoggle's knowledge of the Dreamscape's idiosyncrasy and the faded connection of an old plastic bracelet he gave Sarah.

Neither were ideal sources of tracking.

The perpetual daylight started growing sparse and the tough expedition had taken a toll on more than just one member. Hoggle disclosed a minor peace of mind. "I swears I felt her in distress, and we must be close cause the connection is getting stronger."

"But Sir Hoggle, we've been on the search for about two hours with no sign of our lady Sarah." The pristine voice hitched with confused, albeit innocent, doubt. Their fearless leader was credible and trustworthy, but for all his good intentions, Didymus was not certain the poor chap could decipher head from tails in the maze.

The rubble scuffled under their feet as they moved forward with hesitant confidence. Toby voiced the evident fear that the others harbored, making no point to be vindictive but to establish direction. "All we've run into since we've been here is brush, branches and shattered cobble stone, even the walls are beginning to blend together."

The hulking, mammoth-creature of the group groaned with soft defeat and meek interjection, his head hung low with mounting weakness. "Ludo tired."

The group was moving closer, but some were showing signs of running down. If something wasn't done soon, Sarah might lose her chance.

Sarah forced her full weight against the rock, resenting the damnable stone for not yielding the least bit for her to yell clearly through the crack of the wall. She gathered her voice, gearing all energy and expelling it in one tremendous wail. "HELP!"

Toby stopped, a funny little sound beckoning his attention.

The faint voice was near but muffled.

"Did you hear that?" His interest was piqued, yet reserved in case his edgy despondency was getting the best of him.

"Hear what?" Hoggle partially dismissed the boy's reaction as a product of the tight time limit.

Toby motioned them to stop, urging them to account for the difference in the tepid surroundings. "Listen."

"Hoggle! Ludo! Didymus! Help! Please!" Spent and depleted of energy, Sarah legs shook with the pain of collapsing. Still, she kept yelling in the vain hope that one of friends would hear her.

And they did.

A massive yowl stirred the foundations of the Labyrinth as stone tumbled and scattered with conspicuous direction. The rocks moved of their own accord as Ludo's thunderous howling persisted. The rocks crashed and splintered with little hindrance as the wall Sarah was caged behind crumbled in a pebbled heap.

Once the roaring had ceased and the rocks had calmed, Sarah made her way across the piles of rubble as the bracelet glowed brighter and the light pulsed faster than before.

Standing with elated relief, the three friends she left behind after she conquered the Labyrinth ran to her with giddy exhilaration, yelling in disjointed harmony.

"My lady!"

"Sa-rah!"

"There you are! I told you, we'd come back for you."

Overwhelmed with glee and disregarding everything else, she clasped to her friends, hugging them tightly. "Hoggle! Ludo! Didymus! I've missed you so much."

Among the debris of muddled stones, a shy, familiar figure caught her eye.

"Toby? Toby! How did you get here? Why are you here? Has something happened? I don't understand..." Her excitement and bewilderment made her words slur in a rush of adrenaline, making it hard for her diction to be understood.

But Toby interrupted her with quick resolve. "Sarah, there's something I have to tell to you."

He never had the chance to explain. Because, in the same moment, there was an audible materialization of magic that carried with it a voice Sarah had dreaded hearing since she arrived, the distinct voice of an arrogant King.

"Hello Sarah."


End file.
